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AUSTRALIAN WELDING | DECEMBER 2016
The Impact of
Robotics on Welding In recent years, the downturn in global economic markets has placed pressure on all industrial sectors, including welding and fabricating. In order to reduce costs and man hours, improve productivity and quality, and increase process repeatability, many welding companies are turning to innovative welding products, services and technologies such as robotics. Although robotic welding has many advantages over manual welding, such as higher production rate, more consistent welding quality, and lower long term operational cost, it is still often considered to be limited to applications with simple geometry and large production volumes. With the advent of technology such as laser vision and automated offline programming, applications and uptake of welding robotics look set to expand. A State of Change The bulk of robotic welding installations have been in the automotive industry, where the production volume is often thousands of units per annum, and each robotic welding station only performs a few simple spot or short stitch welds. According to Peter Kuebler, BOC’s Technical Manager, the use and impact of industrial robots in Australia’s welding industry is currently in a transitional phase. “With the contraction of the automotive industry, particularly the closures of Ford, General Motors and Toyota, welding robotics is in a state of change. In Australia, the automotive industry had the greatest utilisation of robotics for welding. This era is now coming to a close,” said Kuebler. “The new era of welding robotics will be concentrated in the manufacturing sector and, to an ever-greater extent, jobbing shops that perform metal fabrication.” “Within the fabrication market, we are seeing structural steel fabricators
starting to use robotics more and more, as are companies that perform laser cutting and metal processing. Traditionally, these companies would have supplied steel cut to size or shape. But more and more, their customers are asking them to perform additional tasks in terms of welding, powder coating and painting,” said Kuebler. Amid this state of change, one thing remains clear: the potential benefits offered by robotics in welding are enormous. The issue for Australian industry has been poor adoption rates. For University of Woollongong Emeritus Professor John Norrish, the benefits of robotics are clear. “I know the impact that robotics should have on welding. This is very different from the impact that it is actually having, particularly in terms of take up rate.” Local Australian steel fabricator Cullen Steel, knows first-hand the positive impact that robotic technology can have on a business. With clients including some of the most prominent companies in Australia, such as Lend Lease and Multiplex, Cullen Steel has a state of the art robotic assembly and welding cell system.
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In the past, the benefit of robotics has always been centered on high volume production, but really, the critical aspects that robotic automation addresses are improved safety, improved quality, and improved cost savings,” said Norrish. According to Owner and Director of Cullen Steel, Ron Barrington, “Innovation and technology are central to securing the future of the steel industry. All welding workshops need to take advantage of technological advancements such as welding robots, and help promote the idea that welding is no longer a dirty job on the factory floor, rather it is one that requires both engineering and IT skills.” Earlier this year, Barrington confirmed that it is nearly impossible for Australian manufacturers to compete with low cost imports, particularly those from China.